I looked at the two men, who were glaring at each other, and said, “A long time ago.” After a pause, I asked, “Is there anything I can do to stop them from fighting?”
It had been only days since Ashton’s accident. He was still covered in wounds, so it was unsuitable for him to engage in a fight now. The last time he fought, he was still injured despite him being in his best health. This time…
Jared raised a brow at me. “Who do you feel bad for?”
Speechless about his need to gossip, I muttered, “It won’t look good for them to fight here.”
“There aren’t a lot of people around,” Jared noted. He then looked at the two, amused. I was starting to think he might take out a packet of popcorn to enjoy the show.
I could not help but let out a huff of annoyance.
Then, I turned to Ashton. “Ashton, send me back. Don’t fight and cause a scene here.”
The man looked at me, his brows furrowed in silence.
Thus, I walked toward him and held his hand. Softening my tone, I repeated, “It’s getting late. Let’s go back.”
“Do you feel bad for me?” he asked with a smile.
I easily ignored his question. “Are we going back?”
After sweeping his gaze at John, who was staring at me, Ashton nodded. “Okay. Let’s go back.”
At that, he led me to the car before he glanced at Jared. “Send Scarlett’s car for repair.”
It seemed like John had not truly planned on fighting against Ashton, so he did nothing but watch the man and I leave.
In the car.
Driving past the bright road lights, the inside of the car was illuminated for a second and not the next. I fell deep into my thoughts.
All of a sudden, my stomach felt warm. Ashton had placed his hand on it. I lowered my eyes to look at him before I let him be.
“Four months soon,” he uttered in a deep voice. “Do you want to go for a walk?”
I turned to look at him in mild surprise. Shouldn’t he be asking me about John right now? Why’s he talking about something else now?
“It’s busy at HiTech,” I replied as I pried his hand away from my stomach. “Fuller Corporation’s audit is almost completed. I’m just waiting for the report to be handed in now, but I still have Fuller Corporation to deal with next.”
After a short pause, I continued, “Ashton, why did you assign me to HiTech and Fuller Corporation’s audits?”
I had sensed that there was something that I could not wrap my mind around. After I took over the two cases, things were not going as smoothly as I expected.
Moreover, Fuller Corporation’s audit was yet to be completed. I did not know how it was currently going. Furthermore, there was a major issue in HiTech as well.
Yet, no matter how hard I thought about it, I could not figure out what was wrong.
The man peeked at me as he drove, and a smile grew on his lips. “What are your thoughts on why I did so?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know. Something is really wrong with the audit, but I can’t figure out what it is. It’s the same for HiTech. Do you know anything about it?”
With the smile still playing on his lips, he focused back on the road. “Let’s talk business when we’re in the office. We’re a married couple, so we should talk about what married couples talk about. Let’s talk about the kid, and let’s talk about you and me.”
Knowing that he had intentionally changed the topic, I dropped my head and fidgeted with my fingers, now silent.
I could not force him to speak if he did not want to. Furthermore, if he was not going to talk about John, there was no point in me bringing that topic up.
Too many things were happening, and I could not settle everything perfectly. I was all but human, and I was getting exhausted by the issues piling up in my heart.
When the car stopped outside the villa, Mrs. Eriksen came out. Noticing that it was Ashton and me, a smile crept upon her face. “It’s cold outside, so you should come home earlier next time. Your stomach is getting bigger, and you can’t always go out all the time now. It’s safer at home.”
That was how Mrs. Eriksen always acted, so I nodded and said nothing. Suddenly recalling the box George gave to me, I queried, “Mrs. Erikson, did you spot the sandalwood box you gave me previously while cleaning the house?”
Ashton had been changing his footwear by the door, and he froze when he heard my question. With a slightly gloomy gaze, he looked at me. “Why are you suddenly asking about the box?”
I nodded. “It just suddenly came to mind.” I met John today, and I had recalled many memories I thought I had lost. Yet, this was how life was; I could not live in a daze forever.
John was not going to stop at that. He would continue clinging to me. No matter what I did, I couldn’t avoid it forever. Since that was the case, it would be best for me to prepare myself.
After contemplating it, Mrs. Eriksen shook her head. “I’ve never seen the box after I gave it to you. Mr. Fuller told me to let you keep it safe. Some things were left behind for you by him, while there are some things left behind by your grandmother.”
Too many things had happened in the past few days, and I had forgotten all about that. Now that I thought about it, I could not recall where I had left the box.
“Okay. I’ll try to find it another day.” That box was a memory of George, after all.
After changing out of his shoes, Ashton entered the living room and sipped on a glass of water. His contemplative gaze was fixed on me. Knowing that his mood was unpredictable, I ignored him.
Instead, I headed straight to my old bedroom, thinking that the box might be there. I tried looking for it in the cupboards.
After moving rooms, my clothes and personal items were all gone from the room. The spacious room now looked empty.
